Page 31 of Looking Grimm

My mouth opened before I was ready to answer, and I floundered through saying, “When this is over—”

“When you’re ready,” he corrected.

Tears threatened again, and I stole a brief, parting kiss.

As I stepped back, his hand slid away. The separation was almost painful. I felt pulled apart—torn between the life I wanted and the one I was trapped in. I thought I could have a future with Grimm gone, but the hope of any happy ending was slowly slipping out of reach.

I returned to Ripley’s room and found him nursing a mug of tea while standing beside a window with the curtains tugged aside. By some stroke of shit luck, the flowerbed where Nash and I had sat then stood was well within view.

Maggie was buried in a pile of blankets and stuffed toys, sound asleep. At least she hadn’t waited up worrying.

I crossed my arms and glowered at Ripley, who sniffed the steam from his drink.

“Enjoy the show?” I asked.

He sipped from the cup, seeming to savor it the way I did a good hit of nicotine.

Swallowing, he asked, “Do you love him?”

The tip of his head toward the parking lot and the manI’d left there provided unnecessary clarification.

“I care about him,” I replied.

“He lovesyou.”

I’d barely walked in the door and wasn’t up for being asked to define or explain things I didn’t understand. I walked past Ripley and yanked the drapes closed.

“No, he doesn’t,” I replied. “People don’t love me, Rip. They just…”

People used me. To fight, to kill, to fuck… But things with Nash had never been like that.

Ripley watched me, doubtless waiting for me to finish what I’d started to say before my thoughts were lost in a mental clamor.

“Fine,” he said. “We’ll avoid the big, scary L-word and phrase it differently. He wants you and all the bullshit and baggage that comes with you. So, let him have you. You’ll both be happier for it.”

“Nash doesn’t deserve that,” I replied. Not when my “bullshit and baggage” was a status as the Capitol’s most wanted, and the Bloody Hex was making a bid to pin me to the wall.

Ripley grunted and dumped the last of his tea in his mouth. “You’re a stubborn ass.”

“You just want me outta your room.” I wandered over and dropped onto the loveseat where Maggie had sat earlier, trying to ignore the bloody steak plate and takeout boxes left on the table.

Tugging off his hoodie, Ripley headed for the bathroom and called back as he passed, “The sooner the better!”

I kicked up on the couch and let my head loll against the cushioned backrest. The idea of love didn’t frighten me asmuch as it confused me. It was a nonsensical thought, as absurd as Nash’s promise to wait for me as long as it took. I had a sinking feeling that his patience would be rewarded with noncontact visitation in Thorngate. There, he could profess his feelings through a Plexiglas wall while heckling guards looked on.

That was assuming Maximus Lyle didn’t have me put me down like the dog I was. If that happened, the next time I saw Nash would be from the execution stage.

I sighed and shifted, struggling to find a comfortable position. By the time the shower turned on, I’d given up trying and stood to make my way to the barricaded adjoining door. Sliding the lamp and table aside, I flipped the lock and tiptoed into the room where our new neighbors were waiting for me.

Since I’d been spendingmy nights on Ripley and Maggie’s cramped loveseat, I was remiss to turn down the opportunity to sleep in a bed. Even if that bed was in the same room as a pair of kidnapping victims who roused from unconsciousness at about three in the morning.

“Shut the fuck up,” I mumbled into my pillow, then dragged the covers over my head. It didn’t block out the sounds of grunting, shuffling, and muffled shouts that grew louder until I worried the racket would be heard by unwitting hotel guests. Flinging back the blankets, I sat upright, wearing nothing but my boxers and a scowl.

The Everett twins sat on the floor. Electrical cords bound their wrists and ankles and tied them to each other. The towels stuffed in their mouths were soggy with spit, and their identical blue eyes were full of rage as they glared at me.

I ticked a finger at them. “Most people in your situation would be grateful for a reprieve from ceaseless torture. Or, more specifically, a prelude to torture. Becauseit’s coming.”

Crossing my arms over my bare chest, I chuckled. “I have nowhere to go and nothing to do but spend time with you fellas. And if you’re wondering what I’m gonna do to you, let me give you an idea. I can break bones. With my brain.” I knocked my fist against my skull and managed to find one of the many sore spots from the thrashing I’d received at the warehouse earlier.

---